115 Puppet Jade Part 1
They packed two days’ worth of food and some essential weapons, tying them into two large bundles and securing them on Abu’s back. It took less than twenty minutes to complete everything. It had only been a few hours since the battle last night, and Deng Xiao had not even woken up yet. They hadn’t had a chance to rest or even take a sip of water before they were forced to continue their journey.
Before leaving, Zhuang Yao looked at Road Bully and said, “It can still be modified.”
Cong Xia patted Road Bully’s huge tire. “Old buddy, we’ll come back for you once we’re settled in Beijing.” If they didn’t have Road Bully on this journey, they would undoubtedly be living a nomadic life, eating raw meat and sleeping in the snow. It was terrifying just to think about it. Now, Road Bully had finally fulfilled its mission and brought them here. Cong Xia had already developed some affection for the vehicle, despite the lingering smell of gasoline in its body.
Cheng Tianbi said to Yan Huiyang, “Please take good care of this vehicle for us.”
Yan Huiyang nodded. “I’ll hide it securely.”
Everyone jumped onto Abu’s back, and they officially set off.
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“Ls zknjkdt.”
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Liu Fengyu reached out and touched Abu’s fur. “Is Abu hungry?”
“No, he ate many snakes last night.”
“Ah!” Deng Xiao suddenly exclaimed, “What a shame! I forgot to eat roasted snake meat and snake soup.”
Cong Xia chuckled, “You almost froze to death, and you’re still thinking about food.”
“If we had food, I wouldn’t have been freezing. I was starving.” Deng Xiao looked dejected, “So many snakes, all wasted.” He took a bite of a hard potsticker, feeling even more regretful.
Cong Xia handed him a piece of sausage. “There’s still meat here. Don’t be too picky. Maybe there’ll be delicious food in Beijing.”
Deng Xiao took a bite of the sausage and sighed, “Many people are probably heading to Beijing. I wonder if my mom will also go there.”
Cong Xia comforted him, saying, “The chances are high. Like you said, your mom must still be alive, and as long as she’s alive, there’s a chance you’ll be reunited.”
Deng Xiao nodded and said, “My mom must be alive. She’s tough, even tougher than some men. She won’t die easily.” He clenched his fist, “When we get to Beijing, I’ll take a handsome photo of myself and have them update that wanted poster, adding me to the list. Once my mom sees it, she’ll come looking for me.”
Cong Xia smiled and ruffled his hair, “Deal. When we reach Beijing, I’ll give you a haircut and take a particularly handsome picture of you.”
Deng Xiao smiled back, his eyes filled with anticipation.
After finishing his food and drink, Cong Xia decided to go and relieved himself. He stood up and walked towards the trees, but as he took a few steps, he heard some movement behind him. Turning around, he saw Cheng Tianbi also standing up and frowning at him.
Suddenly, he remembered that they were now bound together by the ancient jade and couldn’t be more than four meters apart. Feeling awkward, he said, “I need to go to and relieve myself.”
Cheng Tianbi replied, “Let’s go.”
Li Fengyu looked mischievously at them and said, “Take your time, no need to hurry back.”
Deng Xiao joined in teasing, laughing loudly.
To avoid being laughed at by them, Cong Xia intentionally walked a bit further away. He went behind a tree, undid his pants, and began to urinate. He had never felt so embarrassed while peeing, and the nervousness caused him to accidentally wet his pants a little, making him even more frustrated.
After finishing, he grabbed some snow from the ground and rubbed his hands clean before coming out.
Cheng Tianbi immediately noticed the wet spot on his pants, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
Cong Xia observed his every subtle expression very carefully. He had never seen Cheng Tianbi smile with his teeth showing, at most, there was a faint smile, which was already rare. Therefore, the slightly teasing look in Cheng Tianbi’s eyes surprised him.
The embarrassment he had just felt subsided a bit, and he chuckled and stated, “Are you making fun of me? Come on, we’re both men. Who hasn’t wet their pants before?”
Cheng Tianbi replied, “I’m not making fun of you.”
Cong Xia said, “Stop pretending. I can tell.” He went up and hugged Cheng Tianbi’s neck, touching his cold face, and whispered, “You didn’t get hurt last night, did you? You didn’t tell me anything about it.”
“Don’t worry, I’m fine.”
“When we get to Beijing, let’s first look for my second uncle. I think he should be able to protect us.”
Cheng Tianbi nodded and said, “I also need him to help me contact the high-level military. With everything in chaos, I don’t know whom to report to.”
“After reporting, what are your plans? We agreed to find a place to grow vegetables and raise animals, to live a self-sufficient life.”
“I haven’t forgotten,” Cheng Tianbi reassured him as he gently patted his back.
In reality, both of them were well aware that this wish was too extravagant. Now, even before they had set foot in Beijing, they were already wanted by various major powers. Under these circumstances, was it really possible to lead a peaceful rural life? Even without Cheng Tianbi, as an evolved natural force person, he would still become the center of attention. He was a soldier and probably couldn’t retire and do nothing.
They had been on this journey for nearly a year and were about to reach their destination, yet he felt a sense of trepidation—an anxiety about the unknown life that awaited them.
Seeing the anxiety suppressed within Cong Xia, Cheng Tianbi held him gently, “Don’t worry, no matter what happens, I’ll protect you.”
Cong Xia hugged him back and smiled, “I know.” Cheng Tianbi was the most reliable man he had ever met, a man who could never be defeated.
Cheng Tianbi patted his back and said, “Let’s go back.”
After they returned, Li Fengyu playfully teased them, “From now on, you two will eat, sleep, and go to relieve yourselves together. How sweet.”
Deng Xiao grinned, “Fengyu ge, are you jealous?”
Li Fengyu replied, “Ah, yes, I envy them. I also want to hold someone while sleeping at night.”
“Then hold Tang-ge, after all, you both sleep in the same room.”
Tang Yanqiu stiffened and said, “Deng Xiao, stop talking nonsense.”
Li Fengyu glanced at Tang Yanqiu, saying, “I don’t want that. He’s too rigid.”
Deng Xiao playfully jumped on Abu’s back. “It’s more comfortable when Abu holds me.”
Abu “meowed” and placed its paws on Deng Xiao’s back.
Zhuang Yao checked his watch. “We’ve rested enough. Let’s continue. Abu is a bit tired today; we haven’t gone very far. Once it’s rested, it’ll take us four or five days at most to reach Beijing. However, when we pass through Shijiazhuang, we need to check the map. The heavy snow has covered the roads, so our route might be slightly diverted.”
Cong Xia added, “Also, the food we brought is only enough for two days. We’ll need to hunt for some more. It’s spring now, so hunting shouldn’t be as difficult as in winter. Everyone, be on the lookout for some game.”
The group climbed onto Abu’s back, and through the dual communication of language and brainwaves provided by Zhuang Yao, Abu ran in the designated direction.
By nightfall, according to Zhuang Yao’s rough estimate, they had covered 180 kilometers in a single day, nearly triple the speed of the Road Bully. However, Abu was not a machine, and he could get tired. When they rested at night, after eating some compressed food, Abu lay down and didn’t move, clearly exhausted.
Cong Xia injected some energy into its four meaty paws to relieve the soreness. “Is it okay for Abu to keep running like this continuously? Maybe we should slow down tomorrow.”
Zhuang Yao said, “Tomorrow, the priority is to hunt some large animals. Compressed food alone won’t be enough for it.”
Cong Xia nodded. “Let’s not rush tomorrow and focus on finding some game. We’ve been on the road for nearly a year; a day or two won’t make much difference.”
Tang Yanqiu started a fire, and they gathered around the campfire to eat. Zhuang Yao began discussing their plans after arriving in Beijing.
“It’s almost impossible to hide our group’s movements because Abu is too conspicuous. In fact, there’s no need to hide. The first thing we should do after entering the city is to find Professor Cong Zhenzhong and seek his protection; otherwise, the Fenglan Society will be the first to come after us.”
Cong Xia nodded. “In Luoyang, I heard them mention that there’s a National Science Academy in Beijing, where they invented many things used after the apocalypse. I guess my second uncle should be in a similar place, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find. By the way, Zhuang Yao, you’ve stayed in Beijing before, so you should have a better idea than us, right?”
“Most likely, it’s that place. When that person proposed the ‘Cambrian Consciousness’ concept, it was at the National Science Academy.”
Cong Xia asked, “You were once a member there?”
Zhuang Yao’s expression darkened, “Yes.”
Li Fengyu was puzzled. “You were only a few years old a few years ago. What did you understand? What I can’t understand is how they allowed a child like you to participate in research.”
Zhuang Yao gave him a cold look, “You wouldn’t understand.”
“I really don’t understand. Why don’t you explain?”
Cong Xia asked cautiously, “That person you mentioned, is he your father?”
Zhuang Yao’s face slightly changed. “What’s wrong with you all? Are you planning to dig into my background today?”
Cong Xia explained, “We just want to confirm whether, apart from my second uncle, there are more usable resources in Beijing. If your father is also part of the National Science Academy, it might make us safer in Beijing.”
Zhuang Yao replied coldly, “I have no connection with him, so don’t count on him.”
Cong Xia was a little stunned. For some reason, he recalled the time when he was at Zhuang Yao’s home. Zhuang Yao had shown him a photo of a table full of food and asked him to cook based on it. He remembered seeing that photo once, tucked inside Zhuang Yao’s notebook.
He wasn’t sure if that thin picture was the only memory Zhuang Yao had of his family, or if he was just overthinking it. After all, Zhuang Yao didn’t seem like a kid at all, and perhaps, in his highly evolved and intelligent mind, he didn’t need such burdensome emotions.
Zhuang Yao coldly stated, “In Beijing, I was involved in special research. But later, I lost interest in that research and returned to Guiyang. This time, I’m going back to the National Science Academy in Beijing. It’s likely that only there will be advanced equipment and conditions to support my research on the apocalypse. Because once we arrive in Beijing, our goal remains the same—to reach the National Science Academy as soon as possible.”
“And then? Will you stay there indefinitely?” Cong Xia asked.
“It depends on the situation. We know too little about the place after reaching Beijing. We’ll naturally find answers when we get there.”
Cong Xia could feel that everyone’s hearts were not at ease. After all, they had experienced so many hardships and dangers on this journey, and with the final destination approaching, they might all be somewhat “anxious about returning home.” Especially when they were all aware of the danger, their hearts were even more restless. Cong Xia even had a feeling that he hoped Abu wouldn’t run so fast, giving them a few days to rest.
At night, everyone huddled together in Abu’s embrace to sleep. Since they didn’t carry sleeping bags due to the weight, Abu curled up into a neat circle, enclosing all six of them in its belly. Its long fur and large tail covered their bodies, shielding them from the early spring cold. Abu’s soft and warm body soon lulled them into dreamland.
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